Jerome Gambit: First Steps (Part 8)

 

Ah, the Jerome Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5

The two main continuations now are 6.Qh5+ and 6.d4. Which move you chose is mostly a question of the kind of game you like.

At a depth of 41 ply, Stockfish 13 prefers 6.Qh5+ by less than 1/5 of a pawn. Not much of a difference.

The Database has 5,036 games with 6.Qh5+, with White scoring 58%. It has 3,099 games with 6.d4, with White scoring 56%. Again, not much of a difference.

Some direction: 

6.Qh5+ Ng6  and 6...Kf8 allow White to immediately recover one of his two sacrificed pieces. He will want to castle and play f2-f4 or d2-d4, or both, counting on his "Jerome pawns".

6.Qh5+ g6 also allows White to capture a piece, and can lead to two complex defenses, after 7.Qxe5 Qe7 or 7...d6. The better prepared player is more likely to win. Unprepared defenders are likely to drop at least a Rook, however.

6.Qh5+ Ke6 is the sign of a player who is familiar with the Jerome Gambit, and who has prepared a particular defense - or it is the sign of a player who is unfamiliar with the Jerome and who hopes against hope that he can hang on to all of the captured material and survive.

6.d4 Bxd4 Qxd4 is less forcing than the 6.Qh5+ lines, and this can actually be difficult for Black - having to figure things out on his own. In the meantime, White develops, decides which pawns to advance, and even which side to castle on.

Other ways for Black to deal with 6.d4 run into the same problem, that of the defender having to put a whole defense together without much help from White.

Which lines do I like or loathe? I prefer 6.Qh5+, because I am uneasy with the positions after 6.d4 Qh4!? - the one time I tried the line, perrypawnpusher - 4xel, Chess.com, 2017 (1/2-1/2, 29), I had to weasel my way out of a difficult situation. Bill Wall, on the other hand, plays 6.d4 regularly, and rarely sees 6...Qh4, anyhow. I am not afraid of 6.Qh5+ g6, but I always follow my rule: Do not take the Rook at h8. I am happy to see 6.Qh5+ Ke6, but after the possible move 7.f4, often the answer 7...d6 creates difficulties.

A balanced diet of playing and studying the Jerome Gambit should provide plenty of enjoyment in your chessic activitied.

Jerome Gambit: First Steps (Part 7)

 

You might think that by now it would be time to discuss the Jerome Gambit proper, but there is one more distinction to make.

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7

Should White capture the e-pawn?

That was never a question for Alonzo Wheeler Jerome or his followers. Of course White should play 5.Nxe5. That is what the Jerome Gambit is all about.

The Database, however, has thousands of "not-5.Nxe5" games.

Some of this can be because White is not totally familar with the Jerome Gambit.

Some of this can be attributed to a sudden outbreak of caution - White is willing to risk 1 piece, but not 2.

Some of this can be credited to earlier computer chess engines that analyzed the position and urged White to stop being so generous. (Stockfish 13 has no such qualms.)

I could have differentiated the 5.Nxe5 / not-5.Nxe5 games as "full" or "decapitated", but I settled upon "classical" and "modern".

My preference and recommendation is the classical Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

By the way, please resist the siren song of 5.Ng5+?. It introduces the "trap" 5...Qxg5 6.d4, where White attacks both the Queen and the Bishop. The problem for White is that the reply 6...Qxg2 is simply crushing - at that point the computers asses Black as having over a 2 Rook advantage, and The Database shows White scoring less than 10%.

Jerome Gambit: First Steps (Part 6)

It looks like we are taking some time getting to discussing the main lines of the Jerome Gambit, but when we are considering an attack that benefits from surprise and disorientation - What is this opening? What do I do next? - it is a good idea to reduce those aspects in the attacker's game.

So, what if Black declines the second sacrifice? After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8.

Jerome Gambiteers should become somewhat familiar with this line because of the surprise factor, but also because there are some tricky moves ahead. (I touched on this in detail in a series of posts about a decade ago.)

The alternative King retreat, 5...Ke7, is properly met by 6.Qh5, when Black must give up his uneasy Bishop with 6...Bxf2+ and it can be argued that after 7.Kxf2 White's King is closer to safety and he is a pawn ahead.

Somewhat more reasonable is 5...Ke8, but 6.Nxc6 already forces Black to be creative with 6...Qh4, (since capturing the White Knight is strongly met by 7.Qh5+) although White's King can weather the attention after 7.d4 Qxe4+ (retreating the Bishop, instead, allows White to retreat his Knight). There is a straight-forward, even game to be had with 8.Qe2, followed by an exchange of Queens; or a bit rockier one after 8.Be3 Qxg2 9.Qh5+ Kf8 10.Ne5 Bb4+ 11.c3 Qxh1+ 12.Kd2, when Stockfish 13 gives White a small edge, even though he is down a piece for a pawn. (Note to self: examine line further.)

After the diagram above, an attempt to transpose to main Jerome Gambit lines with 6.Qh5 would be well met by 6...Qf6; a better chance would be 6.0-0, to meet a possible 6...Nxe5 with 7.d4.

Strongest would be the consistent 6.Nxc6, when Black would be better after either capture, and would be worse after 6...Qh4 7.Qf3+ Nf6 8.d4, whether he forced the Queen exchange with 8...Qxe4+ or retreated his Bishop (when White's Knight could retreat) or captured White's Knight (when White would capture his Bishop).

Whew.

The fact is that 5...Kf8 is one of the "refutations" of the Jerome Gambit that you may have heard about, which means that if your opponent is as strong as you (or stronger), is reasonably familiar with the opening, and the time control you are playing at is slow enough - your level of risk in the game will be correspondingly higher.

It is always helpful to check out the practical side of things. The Database reports that White scored 57% in games with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf8, and that the scoring percentage went up to 59% after 6.Nxc6. That's playable.

Jerome Gambit: First Steps (Part 5)

 

Okay! You are finally ready for a blistering Jerome Gambit attack - but, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ your opponent declines the sacrifice with 4...Kf8 (less often, 4...Ke7*). Now what?

The first thing to realize is that the Jerome Gambit Declined is rare - it shows up in less than 1% of the games in The Database. Still, it is a good idea to give the line a few minutes of thought, just so you are prepared.

The most practical response is to *sigh* and withdraw your Bishop with 5.Bb3. You can console yourself that it is now your opponent who is offering some kind of dubious gambit where he gives up a pawn and castling rights for a small advantage in development (after, say, 5...Nf6). The risk for the first player has been reduced significantly, and he has material "compensation" as well.

Not quite as strong, but still good for White, is 5.Bxg8, when after 5...Kxg8 6.0-0 d5 Black has an advantage in development, but already has to watch out for tricks like 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.d4.

Why does Black decline the gift of the Bishop on move 4? He could simply be being overly careful to not accept sacrifices that could lead to danger. Or he could be adopting the psychological ploy If you want me to take the Bishop, then I don't want to take it.

The biggest impact of declining the Jerome Gambit is a sense of disappointment for White. This is similar to the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 Bxf2+!? 8.Kxf2 Qf6+ 9.Qxf6 Nxf6, where Black drains much of the life out of the position to preserve "safety" - while giving White a solid pawn advantage.

This is why some Jerome Gambiteers leave their snubbed Bishop in place, and look for a messy game and possible favorable transposition with 5.Nxe5. A small problem with this idea is that after 5...Nxe5, the strongest moves for White are still exchanging or withdrawing the Bishop. There is always the possibility of 6.d4, but after 6...Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Nxf7 Black's Kingside has been bolstered with the Knight at f7.

Again, all of these lines are playable in friendly games, in blitz games, and in games where you are offering "Jerome Gambit odds". The elements of surprise and chaos will be on your side - as well as a stronger sense of understanding and familiarity.

(*Oddly enough, the Jerome Gambit Declined, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Ke7 can transpose, with the addition of 5.Ng5 Nf6 to the Traxler variation of the Two Knights Defense, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Ke7. After 6.Bb3 "there is enough theory on this line to fill a book" according to Stefan Bücker in his "Seven Ways to Refute the Traxler" article from his Over the Horizons column at the old online ChessCafe.com)

Jerome Gambit: First Steps (Part 4)

 

You can not play the Jerome Gambit very long before you meet 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6. 

Euwe refers to this line as the Semi-Italian Opening in his Chess Master vs Chess Amateur (1962). Others refer to it as the Anti-Fried Liver Defense in the Two Knights Defense, because it protects against 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxe5 6.Nxf7.

The move 3...h6 is certainly playble for Black, although 4.d4 should give White a pleasant position whatever the response.

Through a Jerome Gambit lens, however, 3...h6 should be seen as a slight loss of time and a small weakening of Black's Kingside position. It is probably best to choose a move that fits in with the Jerome setup - 4.0-0 or 4.Nc3 come to mind - and hope for a transposition that could come after 4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+.

Of course, Black can answer 4.0-0 or 4.Nc3 with 4...Nf6, instead, when White can try one more time with 5.Nc3 or 5.0-0, hoping for 5...Bc5 6.Bxf7+. If so, the weakening of the e8-h5 diagonal should help White's coming attack.

If 5...Be7 or 5...Bb4 or 5...d6 or 5...Nxe4 are then played - well, no Jerome Gambit will appear this game. It is important to remain philosophical about these things: after all, Black can always "decline" the Jerome Gambit with 1...e6 (and other moves) as well.

Jerome Gambit: First Steps (Part 3)

 

There is another way that your opponent can try to trip you up on your way to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) - by playing the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, 3...Nd4.

This is another one of those situations where White can choose between the "right" way and the Jerome way.

I am not going to analyze the opening in depth, but will point out that there are 3 basic things to remember about the BSG

- do not capture the e-pawn with 4.Nxe5?!, as that allows Black to spring his Queen into activity with 4...Qg5!?, which gives him more chances than necessary;

- for the "right" move choose, instead, 4.Nxd4 or 4.0-0 or 4.Nc3 or 4.d3 or 4.c3; 

- for the Jerome-ish move, of course, choose 4.Bxf7+

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ White has two pawns for his sacrificed Bishop.

Now if Black advances his King with either 5...Kf6 or 5...Ke6, White does best with 6.c3, when the line featuring the mutual capture of the Knights, 6...d6 7.cxd4 dxe5 8.dxe5 Kxe5 9.d4 puts Black's King in greater danger.

Against 5...Ke7 or 5...Ke8, 6.c3 is also a good idea, although in the latter case 6.Qh5+ could be tried as well.

It is always a good idea to look at the latest blog posts, check out the links in the recent games, and browse through past posts - or use the "Search This Blog" function to find more content on this line.

The Database shows that White scores a solid 56% in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

Jerome Gambit: First Steps (Part 2)

 Before you are able to play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) you may have to dodge a distraction or two that your opponent could toss your way. 

For example, you might start play with the Italian Game in mind, specifically the Jerome Gambit, only to discover that your opponent would like to gain the "minor exchange" (Bishop for Knight) instead: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Na5

Black is planning on 4.Bb3 Nxb3, when he would have traded his Knight for the Bishop. 

White does not have to cooperate.

This is one of those situations where White can choose between the "right" way and the Jerome way.

The simplest play is 4.Nxe5 Nxc4 5.Nxc4 when Black has achieved his goal - at the price of a pawn. There are players who are willing to give up material to get their opponents out of their opening preparation (sound familiar?) but the fact remains: the "boring" response to 3...Na5 produces for White a pawn-up position with little risk.

However, there is also the Jerome-style response to 3...Na5, that is 4.Bxf7+. After 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ White has 2 pawns for his sacrificed piece, while Black's King is in danger.

White answers 5...Ke8 with 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxh8; 5...Kf6 with 6.Qh5; and 5...Ke6 and 5...Ke7 with 6.d4.

Of course, it is always a good idea to look at the latest blog posts, check out the links in the recent games, and browse through past posts - or use the "Search This Blog" function to find specific items of interest.

The Database shows that White wins 72% of the time in games with 4.Bxf7+.

An example to take a look at is perrypawnpusher - Aborygen87, Chess.com, 2019 (1-0, 21).